INEFFECTIVE AND LESS SAFE

Reports and data continue to surface showing photo enforcement to be ineffective at best and in many cases, making roads more dangerous where cameras are installed. Be careful when evaluating pro-camera studies as they often do not account for changes in traffic volume and do not compare camera-equipped locations to locations without cameras.

NOTE: Not all of these articles are about Redflex services and equipment. This page is to show the ineffectiveness of photo enforcement in general. For a more complete list of references to articles about cameras NOT improving safety, please see PhotoRadarScam.com (opens in a new window).

Crashes decline at Longview intersections after red light cameras removed
Apr 16, 2016 | Longview News Journal | Article

Excerpts:
If Big Brother was meant to save motorists from serious injury or death in Longview, crash data doesn't support it.

In the 10 months since City Council members ordered red light cameras taken down at 10 intersections, reported crashes at those intersections have decreased, dropping 2.4 percent compared with the final 10 months the cameras were in use.

Crashes across the city have increased slightly, however, in the 10 months since the cameras were removed, according to Texas Department of Transportation data.

Florida: Accidents Increase At Red Light Camera Locations
Jan 21, 2016 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports that accidents increased at intersections where red light cameras are in use. State law requires the agency to monitor the performance of automated ticketing machines and submit an annual report on its findings.

This year's audit is the first to include an independent analysis of crashes. It found that accidents increased 15 percent overall at red light camera intersections after the devices were installed. These were not minor fender benders, as the number of incapacitating injuries jumped 29 percent, and there were two additional fatal collisions. Crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists jumped 17 percent at camera locations.

Police under fire for speed cameras
Jan 3, 2016 | 3 News | Article

Excerpts:
Police are under fire for their use of speed cameras, as figures show they're doing little to reduce our road toll.

California: City Report Shows No Red Light Cam Benefit
Dec 29, 2015 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:
Red light cameras have been issuing tickets in San Francisco, California for more than a decade, but their impact on safety has been mixed. Earlier this year, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency released its annual report on automated ticketing. While the document claims red-light related collisions throughout San Francisco dropped after photo enforcement began, a closer look at the data shows other engineering factors are at work.

Intersection by intersection statistics show that improvements such as increases to the yellow signal time, signal upgrades, addition of an all-red period, pedestrian signals and dedicated turn arrows all had significant impacts. The role of cameras is muddled at several intersections where automated ticketing machines were installed after these upgrades were made.

Red Light Cameras Fail To Reduce Accidents In Tucson, Arizona
Nov 3, 2015 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:
As voters in Tucson, Arizona head to the polls today to decide the fate of automated ticketing machines, an analysis shows the use of red light cameras since 2007 has failed to reduce accidents. Peoria resident Ryan Denke produced the report using the Arizona Department of Transportation's database of traffic accidents covering the years 2005 through 2014.

Denke observed that the number of crashes statewide rose or fell in sync with the number of miles driven in every year but 2005. This makes sense since the more time cars spend in traffic, the greater the statistical chance that they will be involved in an accident. In Tucson, Denke calculated a 92 percent correlation between miles driven and accidents.

UK Study Shows Speed Cameras Increase Dangerous Driving Behavior
Oct 31, 2015 | The News Wheel | Article

Excerpts:
You know how police and cities place speed cameras around to make the streets safer? According to a study by Wunelli (a subsidiary of LexisNexis) in the UK, this is a little awkward, because speed cameras tend to cause unsafe driving behavior.

The number of hard stops triple or increased all the way up to 11 times when the car was close to the cameras, resulting in a potentially dangerous situation of panic braking, especially for out-of-town drivers who would not be watching for cars suddenly slowing for the cameras.

Number of fatal accidents on A9 increase since average speed cameras brought in
Oct 29, 2015 | Press And Journal | Article

Excerpts:
The number of fatal accidents on the A9 between Perth and Inverness has increased by more than a third since average speed cameras were introduced.

Study Questions Value of Virginia Beach Red Light Cameras
Sep 3, 2015 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:
Injury accidents increased at the intersections in Virginia Beach, Virginia that used red light cameras, according to a new study commissioned by the National Motorists Association. According to the analysis by Joe Bahen, an ITE member and licensed engineer, the city's 13 camera-enforced intersections experienced a 19.5 percent jump in injury and fatal collisions, as compared to the city's signalized intersections that had no cameras.

Insurance Industry Proves Accident Rates Declined Equally With or Without Speed Cameras
Sep 1, 2015 | Maryland Drivers Alliance | Article

Excerpts:
An Insurance Industry Group is claiming that a study on Montgomery County's speed camera program shows the benefits of speed cameras, even though that study found no difference in accident rate reductions on roads where speed cameras were added compared to roads in a control group without speed cameras.

Report: Southern California Red Light Cameras Fail To Reduce Accidents
Aug 26, 2015 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:
Red light cameras are disappearing from California. Once the state had more than a hundred cities using automated ticketing machines, but by now a greater number of jurisdictions have canceled their programs than have functional cameras. On Monday, the Los Alamitos city council decided to keep its cameras despite a new report showing the devices have not improved safety.

The report recommended further engineering improvements that have shown demonstrable benefits. In January, the city increased the duration of yellow lights at each camera intersection by 0.5 seconds in compliance with new state regulations. The number of automated tickets issued citywide plunged 61 percent overnight.

Florida: Vendor Tries To Save Red Light Cameras Despite Accident Rise
Jul 14, 2015 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:
Accidents are up at the intersections with red light cameras in Hollywood, Florida, but American Traffic Solutions (ATS) is desperate to keep the troubled system alive. City commissioners last week unanimously approved an ordinance to dump the controversial devices, only to back away from the resolution after ATS proposed a last-minute deal. The company will, in effect, pay the council to ignore the city police chief's warning about the impact of automated ticketing since January 2011.

"Just so we're clear, we looked at empirical data, we did a lot of thorough research on accidents and fatalities," Chief Tomas Sanchez said on Wednesday. "We have also seen a dramatic increase in most intersections of twice as much rear end accidents occur after the red light camera implementation [compared] to before the red light camera implementation. As a whole, there have been more accidents at each intersection."

Yonkers red-light program: Cash, crashes pile up
Mar 25, 2015 | Lohud.com | Article

Excerpts:
YONKERS – While the city has been raking in millions of dollars from red-light violators, crashes and injuries have increased at some intersections monitored by the cameras, according to AAA.

But the safety benefits from the program have been underwhelming, said Alec Slatky, legislative analyst for AAA Northeast. The drivers' advocacy group has previously criticized Yonkers officials for using "blatantly cherry-picked" data or not providing it all, though Yonkers has disputed that charge.

•Total crashes increased by 11 percent — 15 locations had more accidents while nine had fewer.

•Right-angle crashes decreased by 15 percent. Although that overall figure seems to be good news, the data showed that collisions only dropped at seven intersections while increasing at six and not changing at 11.

•Rear-end crashes increased by 83 percent — 17 intersections saw a rise, four a drop, and three had no change. Studies have found that although the cameras can reduce broadside crashes, they can lead to more rear-end collisions, which tend to be less severe.

•Injury crashes went up by 29 percent — 13 intersections had an increase, six a decrease and it stayed the same at five.

Tribune study: Chicago red light cameras provide few safety benefits
Dec 19, 2014 | Chicago Tribune | Article

Excerpts:
Chicago's red light cameras fail to deliver the dramatic safety benefits long claimed by City Hall, according to a first-ever scientific study that found the nation's largest camera program is responsible for increasing some types of injury crashes while decreasing others.

The state-of-the-art study commissioned by the Tribune concluded the cameras do not reduce injury-related crashes overall — undercutting Mayor Rahm Emanuel's primary defense of a program beset by mismanagement, malfunction and a $2 million bribery scandal.

"The biggest takeaway is that overall (the program) seems to have had little effect," said Dominique Lord, an associate professor at Texas A&M University's Zachry Department of Civil Engineering who led the Tribune's study.

Saudi Arabia: Speed Cameras Cause Accidents
Nov 25, 2014 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:
Speed cameras played a central role in a pair of recent, high-profile accidents in Saudi Arabia. At the beginning of the month, a dozen vehicles crashed into one another in Qassim after a motorist saw a speed camera, panicked and jammed the brake pedal to the floor. Four people were injured as one car slammed into the next. One man was hospitalized.

Eyewitnesses told local media that a car driving on King Fahd Road in Buraydah hit the brakes right as he came within view of the "Saher" photo radar unit. The panic braking triggered a chain reaction of rear end collisions that included a police car.

Red Light Reality Check: CALL7 investigation reveals cameras may not make Denver streets safer
Nov 13, 2014 | The Denver Channel | Article

Excerpts:
But critics, including Denver's own city auditor, have questioned whether the cameras are actually making Denver streets safer -- or just making money.

When the CALL7 Investigators compared the four years of data before the installation and after, they found a similar decrease in collisions at both the control intersections and intersections with the red light cameras. Control intersections had a 57 percent average decrease and red light camera intersections had a 65 percent average decrease.

Injuries up at red light camera intersections
Sep 2, 2014 | WTSP.com | Article

Excerpts:
PINELLAS COUNTY, Florida - When the City of Clearwater wanted to improve a pair of dangerous intersections in 2011, it decided to install red light cameras instead of other recommended road improvements.

Now, a Clearwater Police Department report - presented to city leaders on Tuesday- indicates no noticable drop in crashes at two camera-monitored intersections since the installation of red light cameras (RLC). A total of three cameras monitor two intersections: Gulf-to-Bay Blvd./Belcher Rd. and Chestnut St. & Ft. Harrison Ave.

CPD also reported that serious crashes at red light camera intersections climbed after the cameras were installed, from 39 the year before to 48 in 2012-13. However, the number of serious crashes returned to 40 in the most recent fiscal year. However, included in this year's injuries was 70-year-old former police officer and crossing guard Douglas Carey, who was killed at the intersection of Belcher and Gulf-to-Bay in May.

Despite cameras, more injured at Round Rock intersections
July 15, 2014 | KVUE | Article

Excerpts:
A KVUE Defenders investigation uncovered more drivers were injured in crashes at intersections in Round Rock with cameras than before the city installed them.

According to city records, total crashes at intersections were nearly unchanged, from 205 before to 203 after the cameras.

More drivers were injured after the cameras went up, from 23 to 29 people injured after installation. The city reported one fatal crash in the 18 months after the installations. There were no fatal crashes before.

St. Charles County Council To Consider Red Light Camera Ban
Apr. 25, 2014 | St Louis Public Radio | Article

Excerpts:
“I ran the statistics from two years prior to all the red light cameras in St. Peters to two years after. There’s been a 30 percent increase in accidents and a 30 percent increase in injuries after the red light cameras were installed,” he said.

“So the safety issue is an invalid argument. That’s not true.”

Red-Light Cameras Fail to Reduce Crashes
Apr. 25, 2014 | Alexandria Times | Article

Excerpts:
Additional red-light cameras could be going up at a pair of busy city intersections, but the presence of surveillance equipment thus far has done little to reduce automobile accidents at the two sites.

According to the police department’s statistics, crashes at Duke and Walker streets fell from 15 to seven in the camera’s first year of operation. But authorities responded to 17 accidents in 2012 and then 18 in 2013.

Canberra speed cameras slammed in report
Mar. 20, 2014 | Canberra Times | Article

Excerpts:
The ACT Auditor-General has slammed the way speed cameras are used in Canberra, finding no evidence they reduce speeding.

The damning report found speed camera reliability is poor, with escalating maintenance costs and too many rejected infringements. It found the 13 fixed ‘‘mid-block cameras’’ were not doing their intended job and urged the government to look at removing them...

Injury crashes up and red-light citations down at Newport News' three monitored intersections
Feb. 22, 2014 | DailyPress.com | Article

Excerpts:
Several readers have asked whether the number of injury accidents is up or down at the three Newport News intersections monitored by red-light cameras. The city's traffic engineers shared the data for injury collisions for two years before and two years after the camera system was installed in 2010. The information was compiled for a report produced in January 2013.

At Jefferson Avenue and Mercury Boulevard, there were 42 injury crashes from May 16, 2008 to May 15, 2010, and 35 from May 16, 2010 to May 15, 2012.

At Jefferson Avenue and Denbigh Boulevard, there were 17 injury crashes from June 27, 2008 to June 26, 2010 and 33 from June 27, 2010 to June 26, 2012.

And at Jefferson Avenue and Oyster Point Road, there were 25 injury crashes from Sept. 1, 2008 to Aug. 31, 2010 and 48 from Sept. 1, 2010 to Aug. 31, 2012.

The data from the police department shows the number of citations issued at the intersections decreased from 2010 to 2012. The first year the system was working, the company that manages the red-light cameras, Redflex Traffic Systems, issued 20,607 citations approved by Newport News police officers. The second year, that number dropped to 19,738 approved citations.

Florida Legislative Report Pans Red Light Camera Safety
Feb. 11, 2014 | Thenewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:
Revenue from red light cameras in Florida has more than tripled in the past year, from $38 to $119 million, but a report by the state's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability found no commensurate jump in traffic safety. In a report released Friday, the analysts for the legislative branch surveyed the 79 jurisdictions that use automated ticketing machines to determine the impact the devices have had since they were authorized in 2010.

The crash data, however, have not been favorable to camera use. The legislative analysts examined state department of transportation data on 230 intersections using cameras on state-owned roads. Up to three years worth of data were available in the before and another three in the after period.

"Angle crashes (the crashes most commonly associated with red light running) increased by 22 percent at red light camera intersections," the study found. "In addition, rear-end crashes (the crashes most commonly associated with the presence of red light cameras) increased statewide by 35 percent at red light camera intersections during the study period. Total crashes at these intersections also increased by 12 percent."

Arizona County Dumps Speed Cameras As Ineffective
Jan. 21, 2014 | Thenewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:
Speed cameras did nothing to improve safety on the roads of Pima County, Arizona so county supervisors decided earlier this month to cut ties with American Traffic Solutions (ATS), the for profit company in charge of the program. The automated ticketing contract expired on January 6.

"Studies show that drivers become familiar with the fixed sites and decelerate as they near the camera, only to accelerate once clear of the site," County Administrator C.H. Huckelberry wrote in a memo to the board of supervisors. "The crash rate throughout the entire Pima County road system declined 19 percent since 2008. Isolating just the eleven camera sites, however, indicates the three-year crash rate across the camera locations decreased only 13 percent, which is lower than expected."

At some sites, accidents increased, and at others they decreased, suggesting the photo ticketing had no effect on safety. The county analysis found accident severity also stayed the same.

Officials also noted the unpopularity of automated ticketing machines has resulted in camera removal in Pinal County and rejection of the statewide freeway camera program. Despite initial claims that continuously recording the license plates of all passing vehicles would help locate stolen cars, the sheriff's department found the feature of "limited usefulness" with the speed cameras. Official rejected the offer to install dedicated automated license plate reader (ALPR or ANPR) cameras.

Analysis Of National Data Finds No Benefit To Red Light Cameras
Jan. 9, 2014 | Thenewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:
In science, the results of a properly conducted study or experiment can always be reproduced. Though many cite the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) studies on red light cameras as definitive, a new peer-reviewed journal article finds the conclusions did not hold up when subjected to re-analysis. In the latest issue of Health Behavior and Policy Review, University of South Florida (USF) Professors Barbara Langland-Orban, Etienne E. Pracht and John T. Large examine the 2011 IIHS report that claimed automated ticketing machines saved lives nationwide.

In the 2011 study, the insurance industry took fourteen cities with red light cameras and 48 that did not have them. It compared results between the "before" period of 1992 to 1996 and the "after" period of 2004 to 2008. The results were then adjusted for each city's land and population density. In re-crunching the numbers, the USF researchers discovered the photo ticketing cities started off with a 50 percent higher red light running fatality rate in the "before" period. This left the IIHS results vulnerable to the statistical error known as regression to the mean, which refers to how the abnormally high accident rate has a natural tendency to fall back to normal levels on its own. IIHS credited this fall to the cameras. For instance, fatalities were so numerous in Phoenix, Arizona from 1992 to 1996 that the results were significantly skewed.

Saudi Arabia: Speed Cameras Fail To Reduce Accidents [General Speed Cameras]
Dec. 13, 2013 | Thenewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:
Researchers have concluded red light cameras and speed cameras failed to reduce deadly accidents in Saudi Arabia. A paper presented last week at the 2013 International Trauma Conference at the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center in Riyadh concluded the devices known as "saher" cannot be responsible for the claimed reductions in fatalities.

Dr Saud Al Turki, a vascular surgeon and director of trauma courses at the King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, argued the automated ticketing programs focused on speeding and running red lights, but these only account for 31 percent of fatalities. By focusing so much effort on these driving behaviors, officials ignore 69 percent of accidents caused by failure to pay attention to the other rules of the road.

Tallahassee taxpayers get little back from red-light camera deal [ACS cameras]
Dec. 9, 2013 | Watchdog.org | Article

Excerpt:
Recent data from the City of Tallahassee show that in both human and financial terms, red light cameras are costing residents of Florida’s capital city much more than they may realize.

In the three years since red-light cameras began flashing fines at the city’s seven busiest intersections — aimed at ticketing in 19 different driving directions — there have been only eight fewer side-impact collisions compared to the previous three years without the cameras. [Editor's Note: This reduction is in line with national safety trends.]

Rear-end accidents actually increased by 56 percent during the period, from 231 before the cameras were installed to 360 accidents after the cameras went online in August 2010.

Crash figures query worth of speed cameras
Nov. 7, 2013 | Newcastle Herald | Article

Excerpt:
SPEED cameras on two main roads in the Hunter have had little effect on the number of car crashes and casualties in the past five years, with recent data showing an increase in crashes compared with before the cameras were installed.

Crashes and injuries are up at least 18per cent in McCaffrey Drive at Rankin Park while the Pacific Highway at Sandgate has registered an increase of 31per cent in accidents, according to the annual NSW Speed Camera Performance Review.

Speed cameras no boon to traffic safety, county study says
Oct. 13, 2013 | Arizona Daily Star | Article

Excerpt:
A study of the effectiveness of the 11 speed cameras installed on county roads states they have had mixed results in terms of safety.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry  said the accident rate for the entire Pima County road system has declined by 19 percent since the inception of speed-photo enforcement, but only by 13 percent in the areas where the cameras are in place.

He said drivers have become aware of the cameras and have largely adjusted their driving behavior for the immediate area, but not for the length of their commute.

Virginia: City Hides Data Showing Increased Red Light Camera Injuries
Sep. 13, 2013 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:
After holding out for more than three years, officials in Virginia Beach, Virginia finally released accident data that raise serious questions about whether the use of red light cameras has improved traffic safety in the city. Comparing three years before and three years after camera installation, the number of injury accidents went down 12 percent throughout the city. At the twelve intersections where red light camera tickets are issued, however, injury accidents went up 5 percent over the same period.

Stop! Could the End Be Near for Cathedral City’s Controversial Red-Light Cameras?
Sep. 2, 2013 | CVindependent.com | Article

Excerpt:
However, the statistics provided by Capt. Robinson show that the number of accidents at these three intersections were higher in both 2011 and 2012 than they were in 2010, the first full year that all of the cameras were operational. In 2010, there were 15 such collisions at Cathedral City red-light camera intersections. In 2011, that total soared to 25 collisions. In 2012, the number decreased to 17.

As for the statistics at those intersections before the cameras were installed, Capt. Robinson said he couldn’t provide them. “We had a crime analyst who we lost during all the cutbacks last year. That crime analyst had all the historical data, especially the red-light camera stuff. So when we lost him last year, basically we lost all his work.”

Virginia: Short Yellows, Red Light Cameras Increase Accidents
Oct. 8, 2013 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:
Accidents increased at the intersections where red light cameras were installed in Newport News, Virginia. An analysis of six years' worth of collision data by the National Motorists Association (NMA) confirmed that use of photo enforcement failed to deliver on the promise of improved safety in the town of 180,000.

Newport News was one of the first jurisdictions to re-adopt red light cameras after a statewide pause in 2005 when the Virginia Department of Transportation determined accidents increased wherever the devices were used (view report). Heavy lobbying by municipalities and red light camera companies convinced the legislature to give automated ticketing another chance.

Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia has been mailing tickets to vehicle owners at three intersections along Jefferson Avenue in Newport News since May 2010. At Mercury Avenue, there were 41 injury accidents from October 27, 2007 to May 14, 2010, before the cameras were installed. After the devices were active, injury accidents jumped to 64 between May 16, 2010 to September 16, 2013. On an annualized basis, the before period had 15.7 injury crashes per year, which increased 22.8 percent to 19.2 in the after period.

South Plainfield Accidents Up 50% Near Piscataway Red Light Cameras
Aug. 27, 2013 | TheAlternativePress.com | Article

Excerpt:
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Accidents in South Plainfield near red-light cameras installed in Piscataway on the border of the two towns are up 50%, according to a study by The Alternative Press of South Plainfield.

The study compares accident rates for the first six months of 2012 (when there were no cameras) to the first six months of 2013 (when the cameras became operational). It revealed a 50% increase in overall accidents within 100 feet of the two intersections and a near doubling 500 feet out. Rear-end collisions also saw a 50% jump.

Pennsylvania: Red Light Camera Accidents Increase in Philadelphia
Feb. 25, 2013 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:
In the five years before cameras were installed (2000 to 2004), there were 138 accidents at the Grant Avenue location. In the five years after the camera were turned on (2007 to 2011), the number increased 15 percent to 159 collisions. Camera proponents often dismiss rising accident figures by claiming the jump only reflects an increase in minor fender benders. The data show otherwise, with a 27 percent increase in the number of collisions involving an injury (103 in the before period compared to 131 in the after period). Angle collisions did not decrease as promised.

The results were nearly identical at the Red Lion Road location where accidents increased 18 percent from 82 to 100 once cameras were operational. In the before period, 56 collisions involved an injury, a figure which grew to 80 in the after period. Again, cameras did not reduce angle collisions, as the photo enforcement proponents promised they would.

Officials in Philadelphia spent $22,500 last year hiring the firm Ceisler Jubelirer LLC to lobby lawmakers and the media in the hopes of convincing them the red light camera program has been effective. The state initially refused to release reports on the performance of the red light camera system, going so far as to outlaw the sharing of such information with the public by statute.

Missing From St. Petersburg Council Report on Red Light Cameras: Crashes Actually Incrased
Dec. 12, 2012 | TampaBay.com | Article

Excerpt:
ST. PETERSBURG — A one-inch thick report for the City Council about red light cameras touted their safety benefits, the money they generated and how they had changed motorists' behavior for the better.

But one key statistic was left out of the 122-page report: Total crashes actually jumped 10 percent at intersections with cameras in the program's first year.

Crashes Nearly Double at [ATS] Red Light Camera Intersections
Sep. 7, 2012 | Palm Beach Post | Article

Excerpt:
WEST PALM BEACH — The city will significantly expand its red-light camera program this year after commissioners voted Tuesday to place cameras in 25 new intersections, bringing the number of intersections equipped to catch drivers who illegally run red lights to 32.

The move comes despite a recent city police report that tracked five of the existing seven red-light cameras and found crashes nearly doubled in those locations between February 2011 and January 2013, to 66 from 36.

New Mexico: Study Finds No Clear Red Light Camera Benefit
Aug. 30, 2012 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:
New Mexico State University (NMSU) researchers have updated their analysis of the effectiveness of red light cameras in Las Cruces. Despite their best efforts, the results of the interim study presented to the city council Monday failed to find any clear and convincing evidence that the red light camera program that began in March 2009 has had a beneficial impact on safety.

Pennsylvania Red Light Camera Violations Have Not Decreased
Aug. 8, 2012 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:
A more thorough analysis of the data raises questions about these two conclusions drawn by the committee regarding the number of violations and the number of accidents. For example, although the number of violations may decrease between the warning period and the end of the first year of use, there is no significant year-to-year variation in ticketing levels when one accounts for the number of cameras in use. In 2008, the revenue generated per intersection-month of camera usage was $66,933. The following year, that figure did drop 4.7 percent to $63,768. Thereafter, it increased to $68,265 in 2010 and $71,876 in 2011. The amount of profit is so predictable that vendors and state officials can rely on a steady stream so long as new camera locations are introduced on a regular basis.

As for the safety impact, facts are far less clear. Out of nineteen camera enforced intersections, the report considered data for only ten intersections.

"Crash experiences for ARLE-controlled intersections varied significantly," the report explained. "Some intersections experienced an increase in overall, angle, and rear end crashes while the others experienced a decrease in overall and angle crashes and a slight increase in rear end crashes. Overall, total crashes declined by just over 24 percent with specific types of crashes also decreasing."

While this is cited as evidence of the benefit of camera use, the streets are not actually safer than they were without cameras. Accidents in the third year following camera installation are not actually lower than in the third year before the devices were ever installed. The committee also made no attempt to examine results at control intersections. Traffic accidents have declined nationwide to an all-time low -- including in states that do not allow photo enforcement. That lack of proven benefit has made the devices unpopular.

WA speed cameras 'not cutting toll'
Jul. 25, 2012 | Sydney Morning Herald | Article

Excerpt:
The West Australian government's doubling of the number of speed cameras has had no impact on the state's mounting road toll, former police minister Michelle Roberts said after another fatal crash.

A 52-year-old man died when his car burst into flames after colliding with a truck on the Brand Highway near Geraldton on Tuesday night.

The accident took the number of road deaths in 2012 to 105, up from 95 at the same time last year, according to WA Police statistics.

Swindon has UK’s safest roads after SCRAPPING speed cameras
Mar. 26, 2012 | Yahoo Cars UK & Ireland | Article

Excerpt:
A Wiltshire town that decided to get rid of its speed cameras has the safest roads in Britain, a report has revealed.

Swindon, which scrapped its speed cameras in July 2009 to save on council costs and trial other traffic calming measures, has just two accidents per thousand registered vehicles on its roads - the lowest rate in the UK. The town became the first English local authority to decommission fixed cameras, although it decided to maintain mobile cameras used by police.

Taxpayers’ Alliance campaign director Emma Boon said: “This is more evidence that speed cameras are not the answer to making Britain’s roads safer. The cameras result in fines that represent a significant burden on drivers on the basis of how fast they are driving on one stretch of road, but we need a broader, more effective approach to road safety policy.

"Local authorities should follow Swindon’s example and move to focus on other road safety measures aside from speed."

UK: Study Shows No Speed Camera Safety Benefit
Feb. 10, 2012 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:

A private study of the effect of speed cameras in Thames Valley, England concluded Tuesday that the devices failed to produce a measurable safety benefit. Dave Finney, an electronics engineer, produced the report by examining accident data from the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership before and after cameras were activated at 212 permanent sites and at all 105 locations where mobile photo radar vans were routinely parked. Most of the permanent installations were activated between 1993 and 1998.

The report focused on the effects in the 24 months before and 24 months after photo enforcement commenced at these locations. To compensate for changes in engineering and traffic volumes over time, Finney looked at the collisions at camera sites as a percentage of area-wide annual accident totals. He found that fixed locations saw a slight decrease in accidents and mobile sites a slight increase. Overall, the difference was a statistically insignificant 0.2 percent drop in collisions.

New Mexico: Report Finds No Proven Red Light Camera Benefit
Jan. 9, 2012 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:
The city of Las Cruces, New Mexico commissioned a local university last year to come up with a report justifying the use of red light cameras in the community. After examining city-supplied data New Mexico State University (NMSU) researchers stretched to find something positive to say in a study released Tuesday.

Overall, the study found a decrease in accidents at two camera intersections, an increase at one and no change at the fourth. This compares to the control intersections where there were three decreases, two increases and one without any change. None of these changes, however, were large enough to carry definitive scientific weight. The researchers focused on the single intersection with the most positive result.

Washington: Report Finds [ATS] Red Light Camera Installation Unjustified
Oct. 25, 2011 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:
A report released last week by the engineering firm Gibson Traffic Consultants (GTC) found the use of red light cameras unjustified in Bellingham, Washington. The study gathered collision data from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the city to conclude the use of an automated ticketing machine at the intersection of Guide Meridian Road at Telegraph Road was unwarranted.

The report argues that proper engineering practices require jurisdictions to install photo enforcement only after performing an engineering evaluation and exhausting all possible countermeasures, including adjusting the length of the yellow light and improving signal visibility. Bellingham performed no study before deciding to allow American Traffic Solutions (ATS) to install and operate the camera. Instead, it made the decision after ATS found 34 potential tickets after eight hours of monitoring.

Springs May End [ATS] Red Light Camera Program
Sep. 29, 2011 | KRDO.com | Article

Excerpt:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The City of Colorado Springs is considering ending its red light camera program, saying it did not meet safety expectations.

Bell Gardens Ends Redflex Camera Program after no improvement in safety
Sep. 29, 2011 | EGPNews.com | Article

Excerpt:
The Bell Gardens City Council on Monday unanimously approved a motion to allow the city’s redlight traffic camera contract to expire and to send a letter opposing the local water company‘s proposal to increase water rates.

Councilmember Pedro Aceituno motioned that the contract with RedFlex Traffic Systems, Inc. not be renewed after city staff reported the traffic cameras had not significantly affected the number of injury accidents at the intersection of Florence and Eastern Avenues, and the police department said there were unanticipated personnel costs to manage the system.

Peoria will deactivate red-light cameras on Oct. 3 [After Accidents Continue to Increase]
Sep. 22, 2011 | AZcentral.com | Article

Excerpt:
The city will not renew its contract with Redflex Traffic Systems after learning from police that crashes at monitored intersections actually increased during the three-year pilot program.

Crashes Increase at [Redflex] Red Light Camera Intersection
Sep. 20, 2011 | NewsPlex.com | Article

Excerpt:
The controversial safety measure was pitched as a way to discourage drivers from running red lights, thus reducing the number of crashes. New data just released by the Albemarle County Police Department shows the number of wrecks actually increased since the installation of the cameras, albeit barely.

Accident figures suggest speed cameras are not saving lives
Sep. 3, 2011 | Daily Gazette | Article

Excerpt:
SPEED cameras installed to stop accidents are not doing their job, according to national figures.

Serious accidents and fatalities are still being recorded on roads where cameras are positioned around Colchester.

The information came to light this week after the Government, for the first time, released statistics on the number of accidents and fatal crashes at camera sites.

Rider killed braking for a speed camera
Aug. 26, 2011 | MotorCycleNews.com | Article

Excerpt:
A motorcyclist was killed after braking too hard for a speed camera, a coroner said.

California: Another City Admits Accidents Not Reduced By Red Light Cameras
Aug. 21, 2010 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:
Under court order, Redwood City, California was forced to admit that the red light camera installed at Whipple Avenue and Veterans Boulevard in March 2008 have done absolutely nothing to reduce traffic collisions. San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Clifford V. Cretan instructed the city council to respond to a civil grand jury report from June that blasted municipal programs throughout the county that raised $13.8 million from ticketing despite the lack of evidence of any safety benefit.

The Redwood City Council will vote Monday to approve a draft response created in close consultation with Redflex Traffic Systems, the Australian company in charge of the Redwood City program. Under the signature of Police Chief Louis A. Cobarruviaz, the letter ignores every substantial recommendation offered by the grand jury. For example, because the number of accidents is not going down, the city disagreed with the grand jury recommendation that the city measure the program's ongoing effectiveness by the number of collisions before and after camera installation. The grand jury insisted that the city council be provided a regular update on these rates on at least an annual basis, but no such report has been implemented.

[Denton's Redflex] Red-light program in the red so far
Jul 9, 2010 | Denton Record-Chronicle | Article

Excerpts:

The city of Denton has collected more than $1.8 million from red-light camera violations since installing the cameras in 2006 but has seen little profit, as operating costs exceed revenues, city records show.

The number of accidents at the camera-monitored intersections fluctuated with no clear trend from 2004, before the cameras, to 2009, the most recent year for which accident figures were available.

Records show violations continued to fall through 2008 before beginning to climb. From 2009 to 2010, the number of violations more than doubled — to 7,887.

Illinois: Study Finds No Benefit To Chicago Red Light Cameras
Mar. 30, 2010 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpts:
A new study of the country's largest red light camera program found no significant benefit to the use of photo enforcement. Rajiv Shah, an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago released the final version of his exploratory analysis into Chicago's photo ticketing program, which boasts 188 cameras.

Shah's analyzed Illinois Department of Transportation data obtained by the Chicago Tribune which showed that although accidents dropped seven percent at intersections citywide, fifty camera-monitored intersections saw a five-percent increase in accidents. The city used its own, much narrower dataset to claim a significant decrease in accidents. The city only had ten usable intersections and defined "accident" in a way that limits reporting of rear end collisions that take place farther from the intersection. Shah recrunched the numbers and found a net safety benefit of just 1.5 percent.

Rear-end collisions jump at red-light camera intersections in West Palm Beach
May. 24, 2010 | Palm Beach Post | Article
Note: NOT a Redflex program.
Excerpts:

WEST PALM BEACH — Rear-end collisions more than doubled and accidents increased overall in the first 70 days of red-light cameras in West Palm Beach compared to the same period of 2009, traffic records reviewed by The Palm Beach Post show.

Accidents fall at Houston red-light camera intersections [After Cameras Turned Off]
May. 11, 2010 | Chron.com | Article
Note: NOT a Redflex program.
Excerpts:

In the five months after Houston voters forced city officials to turn off a camera surveillance system that fined motorists for running red lights, traffic accidents at those 50 intersections with 70 cameras have decreased 16 percent, according to recently released data.

Do Red Light Cameras Make Green (Money) Or Red (Blood)?
Mar. 17, 2010 | AOL Autos | Article

Excerpts:

In reality, however, the incidences of cars speeding through intersections when the light is red is rare; just two percent of all highway fatalities occur during red lights in intersections, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Fewer are caused by cars intentionally running red lights.

This small slice of traffic enforcement, though, is creating big headlines. There is a fervor in many state legislatures and in regional referendums to ban "red light cameras". The reason is that in some cases the devices seem to cause an increase in accidents at intersections.

Effect of red-light cameras in Salem is debatable
Dec. 3, 2010 | StatesmanJournal.com | Article

Excerpts:
Whether the installation of red-light cameras at a busy intersection in southeast Salem has reduced violations and crashes depends on who you ask.

Salem Police said they've seen fewer violations and crashes at Mission and 25th streets SE since two cameras were installed there more than two years ago.

But officials with the Oregon Department of Transportation maintain that crashes at that location have gone up. ODOT monitors that area because Mission Street also is a state highway.

New Mexico: Study Shows Photo Enforcement Increased Accidents
Oct. 26, 2010 | TheNewspaper.com | Article

Excerpt:
Photo enforcement cameras are temporarily disabled in Albuquerque, New Mexico after a study by the University of New Mexico failed to offer a complete justification for the program. Mayor Richard J. Berry announced that he would eliminate six of the twenty red light camera intersections where accidents increased the most. He also will stop issuing speed camera citations at intersections -- although he plans to keep three vans to set up mobile photo radar traps. While the contract with Redflex Traffic Systems is expired, Berry is seeking a better deal from other photo ticketing vendors.

Freeways Fine after DPS [Redflex] Scameras Shut Off
Sep. 20, 2010 | CameraFraud.com | Article

Excerpt:
Now two months after the camera shutoff, KTAR is reporting that there has been NO CHANGE in driving habits according to the director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Alberto Gutier. "I haven't seen any changes in behavior, I don't see people sort of flying down the highways, although I'm sure it exists some places."

News/Talk 92.3 KTAR's traffic reporter, "Detour Dan" Beach, believes drivers are taking advantage of the speed cameras disappearance. But even so, it does not appear to have made the roads any more dangerous, as Beach says that he has not seen an increase in crashes.

California: Longer Yellows Nearly Eliminate Violations
Feb. 19, 2010 | The Newspaper | Article

Excerpt:
The council, on the other hand, was extremely pleased with the results of lengthening yellow lights by one second in November. The number of left-turn violations dropped 80 to 85 percent from about 240 monthly violations to about 25 or 30 a month immediately after the change. Straight through violations were reduced 92 percent.

SPEED CAMERAS 'CAN'T CATCH MOTORBIKES'
Feb. 14, 2010 | Express.co.uk | Article

Excerpt:
MOTORISTS have accused the Government of running a revenue-raising "scam" after a report revealed that "average speed" - cameras can't catch motorbikes.

New Mexico: Red Light Cameras Fail to Reduce Accidents
Feb. 12, 2010 | The Newspaper | Article

Excerpt:
Photo enforcement may not be improving traffic safety in Las Cruces, New Mexico. According to preliminary data presented to the city council on Monday, the installation of red light cameras and speed cameras in March 2009 has thus far failed to produce any statistically significant reduction in accidents. The city's public works department, in close consultation with Redflex Traffic Systems, did try to argue that the numbers showed the program was worth keeping.

Accidents up despite Spokane red light cameras
Jan. 6, 2010 | Seattle Times | Article

Excerpt:
Intersections where Spokane installed red light cameras in 2008 in the name of safety saw an increase in crashes and injuries in the first year of the controversial program.

There were 38 collisions at the three intersections the year after the city began fining violators caught on tape. That's up from 32 the previous year, according to police collision reports provided to The Spokesman-Review.

Injury accidents at the intersections also rose from 11 the year before to 14 after.

Tennessee: Early Results Poor For Clarksville Traffic Cameras
Dec. 4, 2009 | The Newspaper | Article

Excerpt:
After their first six months of use, the red light cameras in Clarksville, Tennessee have failed to produce any reduction in the number of accidents. The city's first three cameras were installed May 1, and a comparison of accidents at these locations from May to the end of October compared to the same period in 2007 and 2008 shows that the total number of collisions jumped 22 percent following the installation of cameras.

Do Cameras Make Intersections More Dangerous?
Nov. 9, 2009 | CBS2.com | Article

Excerpt:
In Los Angeles the LAPD claims accidents are down after they installed cameras, but are they telling the whole truth or just trying to make money off motorists?     

We looked at every accident at every red light camera intersection for six months of data before the cameras were installed and six months after.

The final figures? Twenty of the 32 intersections show accidents up after the cameras were installed! Three remained the same and only nine intersections showed accidents decreasing.

INVESTIGATION: Are one community's red light cameras effective?
Nov. 6, 2009 | Action News | Article

Excerpt:
According to the Temple Terrace Police, the number of accidents at intersections with red light cameras from when they first went operational October 2008 through February of this year were up 133 percent compared to the previous year when there were no cameras.

Excerpt:
Accidents increased significantly at intersections equipped with red light cameras in Grande Prairie, Canada according to a city report completed last month. The review found that after a full year of use, cameras generated $1.2 million in revenue along with a 126 percent increase in injury collisions.

California: Costa Mesa Red Light Cameras Increased Accidents
Sep. 3, 2009 | AZCentral.com | Article

Excerpt:
Whether they like photo enforcement, Peoria leaders seem to agree on one thing: it's not clear whether red light cameras are actually making the city's streets any safer.

According to numbers from the Police Department, collisions at the four intersections have doubled since a private company finished installing red light cameras in June 2008.

Peoria officials question the value of red-light cameras
Aug. 31, 2009 | AZCentral.com | Article

Excerpt:
Whether they like photo enforcement, Peoria leaders seem to agree on one thing: it's not clear whether red light cameras are actually making the city's streets any safer.

According to numbers from the Police Department, collisions at the four intersections have doubled since a private company finished installing red light cameras in June 2008.

Close to two-thirds of photos taken by speed cameras tossed                                   
May 15, 2009 | AZCentral.com | Article

Excerpt:
Motorists activated photo-enforcement cameras on Arizona highways more than 471,000 times from December through February - more than 5,200 times each day - but on average, only about one-third of those drivers received tickets from the state Department of Public Safety.

An Arizona Republic analysis of three months of records shows Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. and the DPS threw out more than 65 percent of the photos captured.